Although the clue provided by Arden seemed somewhat unreliable, and even carried a hint of revenge. Violet, who had a deeper understanding of the overall situation, immediately sensed something unusual, something she named “a commonality.”

 

The young girl turned to meet Yuna’s gaze, and from the thoughtful expression on the latter’s face, it was not difficult to see that the Saintess had also noticed the same thing.

 

Their eyes briefly met in mid-air before they quickly looked away in tacit understanding. Shortly after, Yuna spoke up.

 

“Arden, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?”

 

The remnant soul, who had been hovering over and chatting casually with a newly knighted Holy Knight with a mournful face, was momentarily stunned before letting out a hearty laugh.

 

“Wishes? Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I was always a wanderer, detached from my clan, living day by day with no attachments. The only ones I cared about were a few close friends… and most of them are gone now. If I had to say, I’m just a bit worried about Jeremy, and then there’s your missing captain, as you mentioned.”

 

“If there’s still hope, Your Highness, I humbly request that you help Karina. I believe if she still retains her consciousness, she must be the one suffering the most among us. Even if she cannot be restored, please… grant her release.”

 

The Saintess did not immediately promise anything. Instead, she solemnly placed her hand over her chest and bowed her head slightly to honor the deceased.

 

“As long as the Light endures, redemption is always within reach. I will do my utmost, Arbiter Arden… may your soul return to the embrace of the Light. Praise the Goddess.”

 

“Yes… Praise the Goddess.”

 

Without lingering any longer, the Saintess left the remaining time to the squad members themselves, exiting with Pedrick through the door. Miss Fox, after glancing briefly at the person and soul behind her, followed them straight out.

 

Standing among the shaded trees in the temple’s side courtyard, Yuna dismissed her attendants, leaving only Violet by her side. She then gazed up at the bright blue sky, speaking with a touch of reflection.

 

“Miss Dawn, did you notice anything?”

 

“Why do you ask so suddenly?”

 

Since they were alone, the Saintess no longer kept her thoughts to herself. She turned and spoke bluntly.

 

“That mask! if we assume it is the sole perpetrator of the attack, I find its actions somewhat irrational. Setting aside its purpose in attacking Karina’s squad for now…”

 

“Knowing that Jeremy had already escaped to seek help, why did it still go out of its way to kill the knights in such a torturous manner? Did it really have no means to stop a 【Courageous Knight】? And why would it deliberately expose its presence by attacking the ‘Knights Templars’? What exactly did Chloe Lowry experience after her disappearance?”

 

As Yuna raised several questions in succession, Miss Fox simply nodded slightly without offering a clear response.

 

“It is indeed very suspicious. So, Miss Yuna, what do you think the reason is?”

 

Hearing Miss Fox’s unhesitating yet seemingly noncommittal confirmation, Yuna turned around, a faint smile on her face.

 

“I don’t know. I just find it strange, that’s all. Perhaps the other side is so brazen because they believe that we in Bright Light City can’t do anything to them, that they have something to rely on. But, precisely because I felt puzzled, I wanted to hear Miss Dawn’s opinion~”

 

However, Miss White Fox still didn’t give a direct answer.

 

“It’s hard to say. Although I do have some ideas, they’re still just in the speculation stage… After all, this incident happened less than a day ago. Drawing conclusions now would be a bit too hasty, wouldn’t it?”

 

“Hmm~ You’re right.”

 

Not dwelling on the topic further, the blonde girl quickly shifted the conversation.

 

“Does Miss Dawn have any plans next? If you’re truly free, I have a rather impolite request.”

 

As if she had already anticipated this turn of events, Miss White Fox didn’t seem surprised.

 

“Let’s hear it.”

 

Yuna smiled softly and extended her fair, slender hand toward Miss White Fox.

 

“I would like to hire you, Miss Dawn, to assist Bright Light City in solving this case, to find and punish the culprit. You can name your price. What do you think?”

 

Is this… a peace offering?

 

Violet immediately understood the meaning behind this gesture.

 

Given the power and influence of the Bright Light Saintess and the Summerfield family, even if they were cautious or found the situation suspicious, it shouldn’t be necessary for them to seek outside help so early on. Thus, Yuna’s intentions were quite clear.

 

What she wanted was to use this collaborative process to quickly strengthen the relationship between the Summerfield family and 【Dawn】, possibly even forming an alliance.

 

The eagerness to recruit powerful allies, the planned secret meeting with the president of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, the large-scale purchase of iron ore and magic crystals…

 

It seems that, just as Edwina mentioned, the recent unusual actions of the Summerfield family within the Holy Church are not without reason. Are they planning something big?

 

Very well.

 

“That’s fine. There’s no need for payment. Since I’ve come across something so interesting, even if you hadn’t asked, I was already planning to investigate thoroughly. As I said before, I’ll assist to the best of my ability within reason.”

 

Seeing Miss White Fox thoughtfully extend her small, delicate hand, the pure smile on the Saintess’s face deepened.

 

“Alright, then let’s hope for a successful collaboration?”

 

“A successful collaboration~”

 

………………………

 

Meanwhile, in another part of the city.

 

The structure of Bright Light City is somewhat similar to Sky City, the capital of the Azure Sky Kingdom.

 

The city’s districts are organized into eight squares: northeast, southeast, northwest, southwest, and the four cardinal directions. At the center is the area focused around Summerfield Castle and the Bright Light Temple, forming a larger, nearly square city.

 

This is the view of the western capital when observed from above.

 

To facilitate management, the church has established separate temples and Knights Templars in each of the city’s districts. Each district is led by its own bishop and knight commander, all under the unified supervision of the Bright Light Saintess.

 

These districts are named after nine mythical beasts that symbolize positive and uplifting qualities within the Holy Empire.

 

For example, the western district is named after the famous holy fish of the Holy Empire—【Flying Star】. Naturally, the Knight Templar in this district is called the “Flying Star Knight”, with an official force of ten thousand members.

 

These eight outer Knight Templars, along with the “Knights of Bright Light” directly under the command of the Saintess, amount to a force of over one hundred thousand. In terms of sheer numbers, this is almost double the clerical military strength of Angel City in the Eastern Capital.

 

Unlike the four major Holy Knight Orders of Angel City, which require the Holy Church’s collective decision to be mobilized, the nine Knights Templars of Bright Light City are almost entirely loyal to the Bright Light Saintess alone.

 

It is precisely because of this vast power, combined with her own formidable strength, that the Bright Light Saintess has maintained her unshakable position as the leader among the three Saintesss. Even if the Pope and the Holy Church have replaced her domestic authority, they dare not overstep their bounds.

 

One could say that Bright Light City is ruled solely by the Bright Light Saintess.

 

Now, two white-winged girls who bear a striking resemblance to each other walk side by side in the eastern district of the city, known as the 【Star Bear】 district.

 

“Haah… Sister, we’ve been running around all morning, circling this entire district. Do you really think we’ll find what Lady Violet mentioned here?”

 

One of the girls, with slightly longer white hair and a more youthful appearance, finally couldn’t help but start to complain softly, letting out a lazy yawn.

 

Seeing her like this, the girl referred to as “sister” showed a hint of helplessness. She gently patted her sister’s head in a comforting manner and spoke softly.

 

“If it were that easy to find, Lady Violet wouldn’t have specifically sent us to search for their traces. This is a very large and secretive underground organization. If they’ve managed to take root right under the Holy Empire’s nose, there must be a reason.”

 

“I understand that, but searching like this isn’t going to get us anywhere… Hey, Sister, how about… we use that technique?”

 

“No.”

 

The older girl immediately rejected her sister’s eager suggestion.

 

“Lady Violet’s orders were just for us to investigate. If we use that technique, whether we find anything or not, it will immediately alert them, and it could ruin that person’s plans. I have this vague feeling that we’re already very close to our target here.”

 

However, the long-haired, white-winged girl just pouted.

 

“Really…? Not to doubt you, Sister, but when it comes to brains, I might be a bit behind you, but when it comes to intuition, I’ve never seen you guess right. We might as well—”

 

“Shh!”

 

Before she could finish her sentence, the other girl abruptly covered her mouth and quickly pulled her to hide behind the nearby wall.

 

【Quiet, something strange is coming…】